Graham: 6 weeks

Graham is 6 weeks old today. He is currently snoring on my chest in the Moby wrap. Riley and I went for a walk tonight since it was still beautiful out. I'm not looking forward to winter being cold and wet and less outdoor friendly, so we took advantage of the last day of Summer.

Graham is looking to have a milk allergy. I'm not excited about this. I'm going to try to get milk out of my diet and see if that helps him. He pukes a lot and now is starting to get a rash on his face and neck. I originally thought it was from moisture as he will often puke at night and not fuss or wake up so he has a wet bib on for multiple hours when asleep. But today, after he had some formula for the first time, it seemed to be worse. I love my nonfat caramel macchiatos. (I was just going to go into how soy milk adds points to my drink, and pulled up the nutrition facts only to find that a Grande with soy milk is 6 points, as opposed to 5 points for one with Nonfat milk. A Tall is only one point less for both soy and nonfat milk.) So I suppose I will try soy milk and see if I like it. I will try to go milk free for 2 weeks and see if it makes any difference in his puking and his rash. I really hope it isn't the case. Because I love ice cream. ;)

He is really starting to get interactive. He smiles here and there and has said some "goos." But mostly he screams and cries. ;) He seems to think that if he is awake he should be eating, and he will let you know if he doesn't get fed when he wakes up. :) He can be soothed, but he seems to do better with me soothing him. Thankfully, he takes a pacifier most of the time. But there is a point of no return: if he gets mad enough he will not take the pacifier, and will get even more mad at you if you keep trying. Needless to say, he does cry quite a lot as I have another little boy to feed and clothe and entertain. Each day there seems to be a bit more time where he will just be awake looking around, kicking and working on his karate chop. But it is still pretty fleeting.

Yesterday he weighed in at 9 pounds 4.5 ounces. (And I just looked and that is EXACTLY what Riley weighed at 6 weeks. Crazy!) He is gaining, but slowly. I am okay with this, because I like having a little baby for as long as possible. He is still in newborn size diapers, but will be moving up to size 1 here soon. Today I put him in a 3 months outfit (because all of the newborn ones need washed, as I only have about 5) and he almost fits. It is still big on him though.

Riley is really starting to be a big help around the house. He will bring me things (if he knows where it is) when I ask, and can entertain himself without a problem. A couple nights ago at bedtime Graham was screaming because he was hungry, but I needed to set him down to pick up a few things in Riley's room. So I propped him up in Riley's bed. Riley thought this was the best idea, jumped in bed and slid right up to Graham with his head on his bear (which he uses as a pillow) and told me to put his blankets on him. I put the blanket on Riley only and he said "No, mommy. On him too." So I put the blankets on them both. Then Riley said "Goodnight Mommy!" With Graham screaming next to him. :) Such a silly man. He was okay with me taking Graham with me though and did not throw a fit. (Which, with a toddler is completely possible.)

Riley gives Baby Brother kisses, eskimos and hugs whenever he thinks to. Which often means when he is asleep. Riley cannot wait to play with his brother. I'm hoping this attitude doesn't change much, though I realize that they will fight regardless of how well they get along. It is inevitable.

Riley is talking up a storm. He cracks me up every day. Some of the things he says are priceless. He is starting to have fights with himself, or rather his hands will talk to each other and disagree. "Are you dancing? No! I'm not." His hands have said to each other. And on and on he goes. He can count to 10, sometimes starting at 1, but other times starting at 5. :) We are working on colors now, but he seems to be slow with this. Who knows, maybe he is color blind. Or perhaps it isn't important to him right now. :)

Well, this is all I have for now. My weight loss journey is continuing. And so far is going well. I'll post more on this later. :) Maybe...

Updates

-1-

The other night I came to the realization that I have no idea what it will be like when labor starts. With Riley, my water broke. I didn't have contractions immediately prior. I was eating a bratwurst on the couch, preparing for a night shift of work, and thought I wet myself a little bit. Went to the bathroom and while I was washing my hands, I realized I was still leaking. From that moment on, it was a whirlwind. I have mentioned this to a few people and they all laugh at me and say "You'll know." But come on people, women get sent home everyday for false labor. I don't want that to be me!

-2-

This upcoming Saturday marks the longest I've ever been pregnant. This is difficult for me to deal with. I've been ready to go for weeks. Last week I was having pretty obnoxious contractions. They weren't horribly painful, but they were uncomfortable. But this week I'm having hardly any. Makes me think this baby just doesn't want to come out. My midwife has "threatened" induction if I don't go on my own. With gestational diabetes they get nervous that the baby will get too big. So I am a bit paranoid. 

-3-

My mom is out of town until late Sunday or Monday. So it would be ideal for her if he were to wait until then. I'm scheduled to work Sunday thru Tuesday this week for my last shifts at work, and I really dread it. I think I'll go in on Sunday but call it quits for Monday and Tuesday. We'll see though. I really don't want to "waste" my time off without a little newborn. Because that just means he will be even younger when I return. 

-4-

This heat has caught up with me. Today was the first time I was really uncomfortable. I had to run to Target to get an air pump so we could set up the pool. Then the hose water was so cold that I could only stand in it with the water to my mid-calf. It was painful at first, but felt so good after a few minutes. It helped to cool me down. Riley, was not impressed though. He put a toe in, then lifted his legs up saying "up! up!" (I was holding him). He wanted to play in it, but didn't want to get cold. So tomorrow should be better for us. It won't be quite so cold. Just watch it be 65 degrees tomorrow. 

-5-

I'm having lots of dreams of sweets and carbs. Pies. Cakes. Candy. Ice cream. I want everything. Anything. I can have small amounts of them, but for the most part I stay away. I found that Balance Bar has a Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough protein bar that fills my "candy" craving and doesn't mess my sugars up. I've gone through 3 boxes already. (they have 6 in a box) To be fair, Riley has helped a little. But for the most part, I try to hide that I'm eating them from him. They are too good to share! :) 

Thoughts

~1~

Today I found out I had failed my 2-hour glucose test. (I had failed my 1-hour, so was ordered to take the 2-hour.) I haven't been told my values yet, so I'm not sure how badly I failed. But I'm guessing not that badly. We had decided, at least, that I wouldn't take the 2-hour test if I had failed the 1-hour by a lot. It is a disappointment, of course, to have Gestational Diabetes again. But I'm not as distraught about it as I was the first time around. I am supposed to meet with someone next week to go over my blood sugars and food log, and talk about what I need to do to keep my sugars in control. We'll see when that happens as I work in the early part of the week, so often don't get phone calls. Oh well. I know what I'm doing, mostly. This time around I only have my anniversary (next week!) and the 4th of July to make it through. Otherwise I don't have to suffer through Halloween, Thanksgiving and the possibility of Christmas like I did with Riley. (He was born before Christmas, so I was able to eat some carbs.) 

They will make me to Non-stress tests again and make me come in pretty frequently, so it is going to be tricky finding appropriate child care. I'm going to have issues I'm sure. But Riley cannot come with me to a Non-stress test. I would never be able to sit still with him there! :) 

~2~

Riley has been in his big boy bed for quite some time now. He, just last week, realized that he was able to get out of his bed in the morning. And oh how much Mommy and Daddy are sad about this! He used to sit in his bed, play with some toys for a while before yelling out "Mommmmmy!!" I would then get out of bed and go get him from his room. Mind you this would happen at 9:45 or 10:30. It was wonderful. But now he is getting up at 7:30 or 8 and wandering into the living room. He usually is just fine in there. He will gather up some snacks for mommy or daddy to open for him, and play with toys. But there is some worry that he might cause a ruckus out there alone. Today, when he woke up at 7:15 (and mommy had gone to sleep at 3:15am after watching a few shows with daddy) it was especially painful. Riley came in bed with us for a little bit, but I was worried he would soak through his diaper, so I took him out to the living room. I set up a movie and laid down on the couch, set him up with applesauce, milk and a bar, and closed my eyes. I can't remember when, but he told me he was going to bed, and went in his room and played with his cars there. I slept through the entire movie (Bolt, if you're curious). It wasn't that comfy, but I was glad to have gotten a nap. Daddy got Riley out of his room around 10:45. He is a strange child sometimes. But I love him for it. 

~3~

Naps have kind of become a luxury item around here. He really fights them hard. I think a solution to this issue (and the one I just mentioned) is getting some heavy curtains along with the blinds. It is just too bright in his room! Yesterday he took a good nap for his Papa. And today he is taking an excellent one for me. It has been 3 hours now. I'm thankful for it. But most of the time when he is laid down in his room, he just plays for an hour and a half (and either parent will go in there periodically and ask him to lay down, and stop playing.) before coming out of his room saying he "waked up." When in fact he never went to sleep! :) He's never really been a good sleeper, but on Wednesday afternoon, he put himself to bed. Some days he knows he will feel better after napping. Other days he goes to war!

~4~

This time around I'm particularly worried that something will go wrong. Like the baby will have some congenital defect, or might not make it through the birth. It is a very strong, horrible feeling I have, and I'm struggling with it often. I really try hard to push it out of my mind, but it is difficult to do. I know of at least one other Mama who has admitted to a similar feeling. But it is very difficult to know that Riley is perfect, his birth went beautifully, he has been a healthy little guy, and there are many many things that could have gone wrong. Eventually one of them will, right? Statistics show that problems happen more often than I would like to know. Right now, I'm just not in a place where I should be Googling it, so you will have to live with a generic "things happen" statement. Go ahead and Google it yourself...unless you are also pregnant or trying to conceive. Because some things are just better off not known. Maybe having gestational diabetes is my statistic? Lets hope so...

~5~

I took a while putting groceries away and Googling carbohydrates in foods, so I don't have much more time. Now I need to go prepare and start dinner for Riley and I. So this will have to do for now. :)

Mr. Riley and the W's & Mr. Riley bakes

My dear son's love of BMW's continues. For fun, I take him to the local park and ride garage, and we slowly drive through looking at BMW's, Audi's and Volkswagen's. It is his candy store. He's always so sad to leave. He now calls all parking garages "the W garage."

Some days in order to get him to put his shoes on it helps to call his shoes "W shoes." Anything BMW related, and he's in.

Jamaal has been driving a new-to-him Jetta. He bought it from his other work because he loves white old body style Jetta's, and he needed a car to drive while his Audi is in the shop. But we have had a BMW from his work (and therefore it is a "dealer" car) in our driveway for quite some time now. Riley is obsessed with it, of course. In order for him to be okay with us not driving it, I had to tell him it was broken. So everyday, he says, "Daddy fix-it W." Sometimes this is a question, ("Will daddy fix the BMW today?") and other times it is a command/request ("Please fix the BMW, Daddy!"). Jamaal has not been able to drive it, because he hasn't had a license plate to put on it. So it isn't exactly broken, but missing an important part. Well, on Thursday, Jamaal got a plate from his work. When he went to work, and Riley dragged me out on the porch to watch him leave, (as is our routine) daddy left in the W. Shock. Anger. And very likely some jealousy overwhelmed my poor boy. He was very hurt that his daddy would take his W, without him. He watched him leave, but once I set him back down in the house, he was throwing toys, kicking off his shoes. He was very, very upset. He started saying "'Mere Daddy, Volkswagen." (Meaning: "Come here Daddy, and take your Volkswagen") Then he started saying: "See it W." Followed by some fake, very pathetic tear-less crying. He wanted so badly to go for a ride in the W. It was unfair that his daddy got to ride in it and he did not. I felt badly for the kid, but it was pretty comical the way he reacted. I told Jamaal how upset he had made his son, and his response was that Riley could ride in it the following day. But, I explained, Riley didn't understand that. Besides, he didn't see it coming. (And I didn't either.) Sometimes a little preparation goes a long way for a toddler. :)

*                                  *                                  *

He loves to help me bake. And honestly he is pretty good at helping me. So far he has helped me make banana bread, cookies, pancakes, frosting, and cinnamon rolls. He's helped with frosting a couple times. He likes that the most because he gets to taste more. He's had a couple bites of cookie dough (who can resist anyway?) but I only let him have a little bit. He is getting better and better at bringing a full cup of flour or sugar to the bowl and dumping without making a mess. He has had a couple problems, but it isn't too bad. I have spilled as much as he has before.

One night when we were making the cinnamon rolls, we had to stop to let the dough rise. That meant we would not be able to eat any finished product. (And it was getting late so I decided to finish the rolls the next day. Well Riley didn't understand this. So, we pulled out the cookie dough balls from the freezer and put some on a cookie sheet. He is a typical toddler and likes things in a certain order. He lined them up on the cookie sheet.

So mommy said, "Riley, we need to put them about 1-2 inches apart. Like this." And I showed him what I meant, by spreading them out. He immediately began helping me, forming a line of dough balls along the top of the sheet instead.

I was cracking up laughing. And had to capture a picture of it. He did it quite a few times, with me trying to show him what I meant, and him lining them up instead. Eventually I had to literally hold him back so that I could cook the cookies. He was upset, and crying out "No! No!" but once they were in the oven I had him look through the oven window and watch them bake. He eventually got over it. Oh the joys of toddler-hood. :)

And here is my minion helping with the frosting, as we waited for the cinnamon rolls to rise. He moves so much, I can never capture him. But you get the idea, frosting is yummy!

All about Riley

I haven't posted a lot about my little man lately, but I've been wanting to. He is at an age where I find myself saying "I'm going to miss the way he says...." Eventually his grammar and pronunciation will become correct. And it will hurt me a little when that happens. Perhaps I could home school and keep all of his cute words the way he says them now? ;)

And so...a little about Mr. Riley:

Coming is: Come-meem.

Sleeping is: Seeping.

He screams barking! at the dogs when they are barking. Telling them to be quiet, as I so often do. :)

Pizza is pronounced: Fot-see. We don't know why...I have gotten in the habit of calling it fotsee myself. :)

My husband loves cars, and his love has rubbed off on our son. Riley adores cars. Plays with them all the time (along with his trains) and pays attention to any car driving or parked that he sees. He can identify a BMW, Volkswagen, or Audi. He can pick out a van as something that his Grandma drives. He knows his favorite cousin, Connor, often rides in a Yukon (he picks them out regardless of color, by pointing at one and saying "Connor?"). But, by far, his favorite car is a BMW, which he calls simply W. I drive a Volkswagen, and for some time my husband has been driving BMW's. Mr. Riley will often get upset if we are taking my car. He would prefer to ride in a W any day  Doesn't matter the condition, or year. If it has a BMW emblem on it, he's a fan. Today my husband traded the BMW for an Audi, and he (my husband) dreaded telling Riley. Last night, he said "Riley isn't going to be happy." We have a little car snob. :) Riley and I went for a walk the other day, and we passed by 3 different BMWs. I know this because somebody pointed them out to me as we went by. ;)

He really doesn't want Mommy to take pictures of him. He will put his hands up in front of his face, or whatever is in his hands at the moment to prevent me from getting a good shot. 

But I take a lot of pictures so I sometimes get a decent one of the kid. :) This was at a mini park by our house. He spent most of the visit running and yelling "Go! Go! Go!"

I know there are a lot of other things he does that are cute. But I can't think of them at the moment.

The Lunch Date

Today I decided to treat myself to a lunch date with my toddler. It was a bit silly, now thinking back, to go to Costco at just before noon on a Saturday, but I decided the hot dog was worth it. :) Also, I had no reason to go shopping there, as I just went earlier in the week, which makes it a bit easier to wait in line, not having to worry about a cart.

But still...with a wiggly toddler you begin to worry about things like: will he scream and shout? will he become limp like a noodle and refuse to use his legs? will I be able to eat my dog in peace?

At Costco, they do not have high chairs for the wiggly ones. Just benches and tables. So, it is tricky to keep them corralled at times. But today, little Mr. Riley was on his best behavior. He walked when I asked him to, he stayed nearby, he used an appropriate toddler voice, he only once got down from the bench, but got back up when I asked him to. It was like magic. All of my fears, were for no reason at all. He was a perfect angel for me. And I was a little sad, but proud at the same time. He's growing up, and of course I want him to, but sometimes I wish we could just freeze time and live in this moment.

Another mommy, wearing an infant, and her toddler had lunch there too. But she was in charge of a cart, so had to sit on the end of the table opposite of me, by the walkway. (I chose the end next to the wall, so I had only one exit point to cover.) Her son, walked down to our end of the table, staring at Riley, chomping on his lunch. She might have known he was there, or perhaps it took her a while to react, realizing he was safe where he was. But I took the opportunity to tell Riley that he was being naughty. He needed to stay with his mommy, and listen to her. I waited to say this until the toddler was on his way back to his mom (or perhaps just back for more food). I've heard a friend say this before: it seems if someone else's child is acting naughty, your own children act a bit better, because they are embarrassed for the other child. I am just happy when it isn't my child setting the poor example. :) However, I had planned an exit strategy if my babe didn't behave. I would pack up our food and go, and eat in the car. That being said, the roving toddler I mention, wasn't being obnoxious, he was just not staying still. I'm not exactly sure why she didn't put him in the cart to eat, if for no other reason than to chain him down. But of course, it is not my place to judge, she had her reasons. And I'm sure one day it will be me with one child that won't sit, stay or listen. (actually I'm sure that has happened to be before already.) :)

Anyway, he ate pretty good too, and I wasn't expecting that either. I didn't think he would like my hot dog, so I got him some pizza, which he ate about equal amounts of both. So that meant I was able to have some pizza with my hot dog too. He saw someone with some frozen yogurt, and he was pretty excited saying "Cream! Cream!" And I told him, if we were still hungry, we would get some, but of course I was way too full after lunch for some frozen yogurt, so perhaps next time. Lucky for me, he had forgotten by the time we were leaving.

The magical lunch date ended with the following: as we were walking to our car, I hugged him and thanked him for being so good. I asked for a kiss, but had to steal one, because he didn't want to give one willingly. He giggled and wiggled, and as I was getting ready to put him in his seat, he started fighting yelling "No! No!" He did not want in the car. He flailed his arms about, which promptly met my face, and I was knocked straight back to reality. We aren't out of the tantrum phase yet. (And one could probably argue that we will never be out of that phase, at least while he is still living under our roof...) It was accidental, but I told him to be nice to mommy and settle down. And he did.

We next went to Safeway for a couple groceries, and upon arriving home, he started to scream in his car seat. He does this a lot actually and it is quite the pain. Most of the time it is while riding in the car, but sometimes he will do it when he is upset or tired at home as well. Today, I said: "Riley, why are you screaming?" And he stopped, and said "Sorry, Mommy." And that was that. I laughed and said thank you. Perhaps we are on to something here. :)

Just an update

I haven't posted in a while. 

Not much has been happening around here. I kind of decided to have a low-key birthday for Riley this year. Just the family is invited. Last year was a huge party, and a lot of stress, and while he had a blast, it isn't something he will remember. So we will just have a cake with the grandparents and his aunt and uncles (and cousins if they aren't too cool for us yet.) ;) Next year, maybe, we'll have a bigger party for him. Also, last year he got a lot of toys, it was a bit ridiculous. We had to give some to the grandparents, because there was just too much for him to play with at our place. I love to get fun gifts for kids, so I totally get it, but there is only some much time in a day for playing. ;)

Tonight, Riley went pee pee in the potty for the very first time. He has been asking to go potty a lot after diaper changes, so I put him on the toilet and he sits there looking in the bowl, playing with his belly button and talking about bubbles. Sometimes he sits there for 45 seconds sometimes only 15 before saying "All done" and trying to get down. I'm not really pushing potty time right now, because he is still young for it, and I don't want to stress him out, but if he asks to go, I'll let him. Tonight he asked after his diaper was changed, and it was almost immediate that he started peeing. He started laughing, he was so excited. I kept saying good job and cheering. But I thought to myself "now what?" I hear about moms using M&M's and jelly beans as rewards, so was I supposed to give him one for going? Maybe is this it for us, will he be easy to potty train? Or did we just get lucky this time, and he just so happened to have to really go? It is too early to tell yet. I'm not fully ready to believe he is ready to train, but we'll see how it goes. 

This weekend will be a busy one for us. We have a birthday party on Saturday and another on Sunday. Unfortunately, I have to work on Sunday, so I won't be able to go to that party, but my sister-in-law will be taking Riley for me. It is a 4 year old's party to a movie theater to watch Cars. Riley loves that movie, (well he prefers the second one...but he will sit through the first one too.) Kind of. He never really sits through a movie unless I'm holding him down (like to get him to go to sleep.) I hope he enjoys himself. :)

Sunday my parents return from being in Australia and New Zealand. I cannot wait to see them again. I talk to them nearly every day so it has been pretty hard. Riley is going to flip out when he sees them, I think. :)

Mr. Riley

My little boy is sure a character. Every day is so much fun these days. Well, at least parts of the day are fun. We still have some hard times. But then he will do something sweet, or cute, or funny, and I will smile and think, "how did I get so lucky?" The above photo was taken after nap time. I don't think he was quite ready to get up. But he was squeaking and fussing, so daddy got him up. We both laughed out loud when we saw his hair. It was worse...if you can believe that...right after sitting up in his crib. I didn't have my phone on me though, so it was a few minutes later when I got this shot. I have about 5 others prior to this one, but his eyes are closed. SO I had to get this shot without the flash. He was so very annoyed with me. And after this I broke the news that mommy was going bye-bye. Haha...mommy is so mean! :) (Don't worry, he quickly got over it. Saying "bye-bye" and walking me to the front door.)




The above video (if it decides to show up) was taken after he found a pacifier on the table. You see, the first 8 months of his life were very hard on me. He did not know how to sleep. I was sleep deprived and desperate to find something to sooth him, aside from me. I was exhausted and desperate for some relief. I bought EVERY type of pacifier out there. I searched desperately for some sort of different shape that might appease him. But to no avail. I think he took it a total of 2 times and kept it in his mouth for like 5 minutes at a time. Seriously folks. It was a rough time. But here he is making fun of his mama. ;) He doesn't even know how to suck on a binky and keep it in his mouth. (though I must admit, I tried this particular one too, and it is pretty difficult to suck on.)

The past week or so he has really started to talk up a storm. It is an adventure every day with him, you never know what might come out of his mouth. Right know he is big into "Thank you." He hands me something, and when I take it from him, "ank coo." The waitress refills my water, he says "ank coo." It just about melts my heart. Next step is working on "you're welcome."

The other day a new mommy commented that she couldn't wait for her baby to do something that Riley was doing. And I totally remember feeling this way when Riley was months old. There were times when I looked forward to the next milestone. And while this reaction is completely normal. And sometimes we say these things without really meaning anything by them. But I think there is something in loving the moment your child is in now. There is something so beautiful about your baby today, right now. Even if they are screaming and squirming and fighting sleep. I had so many struggles during the first months of Riley's life (and I definitely have some struggles today) but I look back on those moments with such reverence and a desire to be able to go back in time and snuggle with the Riley of 2011. I guess what I'm saying is each milestone is special in its own way, try to live in the now without looking too far forward. Because you will never get that time back.

Exhausting!

--- 1 ---

My son is really going through a period of being difficult. I've mentioned this before. And well today is just no different. I started the day rough on him, and it has continued off an on through this morning. He is currently singing to himself in his crib...but it is time for "night nights" so there he will stay. It really all started when I didn't give him his milk. You see, we were going to a Weight Watchers meeting with my mom and I thought he would stay quiet for longer if he were to drink his milk at the meeting instead of in the car on the way there. My mistake was that he saw me pour his milk...and when I put his cup in the bag instead of in his hands, his whole world fell apart. I tried distracting him, and giving him other tasks, but it didn't work. So after snapping him in his car seat, he got his cup. Poor kid. Mama is so mean. ;) Then at the scale, I told him to stay with me, and he wasn't happy about that either. My mom got there after we did, so I had no one to hold, or watch him while I was weighing in. He got upset then too. Stickers from the leader didn't help. He just cried some more. But I was able to set him down so I could weigh in. And he was fine once I picked him up again. I could go on and on about this right now, so I will just move on to #2, which really is just a continuation of #1. ;)

--- 2 ---

He has been screaming a lot lately. And there seems to be nothing we can do to make him stop. I have tried whispering, ignoring, removal, and while the last one has worked to settle him down, I usually cannot return him to the same environment. For example, this morning my mom and I went out to breakfast, and after he felt he was done he started screaming at the top of his lungs. So I took him into the bathroom. At this age, there really is nothing to talk about, other than saying "Mommy said no screaming." Later on in life, we might have more productive bathroom trips in which conversations are had about what behavior is allowed in a restaurant. But for now we simply washed our hands. Upon returning to the table I attempted to put him back in his seat, and he started writhing and saying "No, No, No..." So I made a compromise and placed him in my lap. He was well behaved there and ate a bit more food. But goodness do I wish he didn't scream...crying is so much better. 

--- 3 ---

I find my motivation to clean, tidy and organize dwindles by the time Riley is put down for his nap. I really want to do these things before I get out of bed in the morning, but he wears me down to the point that all I want to do is rest and eat some food. ;) Today I decided to try blogging and see if I can feel some ease of mind. Because I really do want to purge some items. I feel so cluttered and messy and wish getting rid of things was easy for me. 

--- 4 ---

I saw a pin on Pinterest the other day about making your own foaming hand soap. (and wouldn't you know I didn't repin in?!) But, I have always wondered what would happen if you put soap in a foaming soap dispenser, so I thought I would try it today. My Peach Bellini Bath and Body Works hand soap was pretty close to empty today, so I added some Johnson & Johnson Baby Wash to it, followed by some tap water, and carefully tilted the container until it was mixed. And poof! Foaming hand soap! Yippee! (I ended up searching on Pinterest for the idea and found this site if you need further instructions. It wasn't the pin I had seen, but it will do just fine. :) And can I just add that Pinterest is acting out a lot this morning! Goodness, will people please stop loving it as much as I do, so they stop hogging all the server space? Thanks in advance!

--- 5 ---

And I just had a total "Duh!" moment. I absolutely love to have foaming dish soap around so I can wash small dishes with a brush without making a sudsy sink...so I just bought a new bottle of the Dawn foaming dish soap, when I could totally be making my own! Seriously folks, what did I do without Pinterest? I mean...don't go there. It is just a waste of time... ;)

--- 6 ---

Yesterday was our Garbage day, and I was confused because they picked up our recycling, but not our garbage. So this morning I called to find out what was amok. Turns out, I didn't pay our bill. And they were scheduled to come pick up our cans soon. Oopsies. They didn't even leave a note or call to find out where our payment was. They were just going to take our cans and say adios. I paid my bill over the phone and asked if they send bills via email, since that usually is how I get my bills and signed up that way. I have also decided I need to create a chart for me to check off the bills each month as I pay them, because that is the second one I forgot to pay this month...(actually the garbage bill was from June! and they never sent me a second notice. How strange!) You would think I was pregnant or something...

--- 7 ---

I have been really feeling like I want to have a lot more kids than just the two my husband has planned for us. I guess I'll just have to re-address the issue after having number 2 (if we are able). Because perhaps I will change my own mind. Especially after mornings like today (see #'s 1-3 above). Also, we don't really have a lot of room for kidlets in this house. We could do some rearranging. (For example I would love to move my craft room into the den area, and put the computer either in the living room or in our bedroom. That would open up one more bedroom. So that the girls could have their own room and the boys could share one too. But I'm likely living in a dream world. I don't think my husband would let me take over the den. Would you babe?! :) Anyway, I've come to the conclusion that a pregnancy of multiples might satisfy my urge for more children, and abide by my husband's strict policy of two periods of infancy. So I've been willing for multiple eggs to drop. Go ahead and call me crazy. :)

--- 8 ---

And because I prefer even numbers to odd numbers I thought I would share one more tid-bit today. Since working at Weight Watchers, I find myself going to Trader Joe's a lot more. (They are in the same parking lot in Federal Way, so it is super convenient to go there for me). This last time I went I found Mochi Ice Cream and I was reminded of my dear friend Kristina. Here is a website review of them, but you really shouldn't read the review, because I don't agree. However, there are some good pictures of the ice cream balls and that you are allowed to look at. I thought they were quite tasty. They are ice cream balls with a mochi layer on the outside. Reminds me of our trip to TCBY. :) BUT they are 3 Points Plus each...so they are a bit high when it comes down to calories. I think I'm going to break away and have one now. :) Happy Friday!

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

Tid Bits

• Today, as I was checking out at the grocery store, I bent down to pull out the 20-lb bag of rice out from under the cart, and it got caught on something and ripped open. It then proceeded to spill about 3-5 pounds of rice on the floor. In the middle of the check out aisle. I felt like a jerk. But at the same time I was annoyed that they don't have a gun-type scanner to scan those heavy items that need to stay in the cart. It is difficult to go shopping when you have a wiggly toddler, with Gumby arms that seem to grow a few feet each time. :) The checker and the bagger went to action very quickly. They called in someone else to go grab me a new bag of rice. I was going to offer to buy the one I ripped, but they were quick to offer a new one, and I didn't want to have  deal with getting that leaking bag home. The checker wasn't too friendly prior to this, but she was even more frigid after my mess. I began to wonder if she really just doesn't like children, or if she was just having a rough day. Riley also decided to play with the card scanner/ payment thing before I got to it, so I couldn't type in my phone number. That meant that she had to do it for me, which only annoyed her further. Finally, after I had scanned my debit card, and entered my pin, Riley got to it again and cancelled it out. So, while I thought I was all done with paying, I was not. When I got home I noticed that one of the coupons I had given her didn't go through, so I will be going back tomorrow to get the $3.00 I am owed. (My plan is to walk to the Safeway that is close by, I called ahead to make sure I don't have to return to the same one. It will give me about a mile and a half of walking.)

• After this shopping episode, Riley fell asleep in the car. I figured he would, it was just after two o'clock (and his usual nap time ranges from eleven to one in the afternoon). But I was able to transfer him into the living room, lay him on the floor, change his diaper, put his pants back on, and deposit him in his crib, without him waking up. Okay, his eyes fluttered, but that was all! I guess the trick is to wear them out fully, and they they sleep better?! (Ha! this is definitely not the case, but a girl can dream.)

• I met a little man earlier this week and he was pretty darn cute! :) I was a little nervous for Riley to meet him. He hasn't been around too many babies, and I wonder(ed) how he would adjust to a sibling. Upon walking into the house, he immediately gravitated toward Elias where he was sleeping in a little portable bed. Riley pointed at him and said "Night Night." He was very gentle and soft. Later, once Elias was awake, Riley was very interested in what was going on under that nursing cover. He wanted to look at the little guy. And as we were leaving he very gently caressed Elias' head. He was so soft and nice. It amazed me, because I haven't worked with him on this at all. I guess I have been trying to teach him to be gentle with our dogs, but I didn't think it would translate to babies. Now, that is not to say that Riley won't hit or get rough with a sibling, were he to get one. But it is a huge relief for me to see him interact appropriately with babies. And, I should add, to be interested, curious, and excited by babies. :)

• Today I decided to clean, organize, and purge a little from our pantry. It was beginning to be difficult to fit foods into it. Mostly because I have been shoving things in there rather quickly, instead of purposefully. I went through expiration dates and got rid of things that I would feel uncomfortable eating past the "use by" dates (ie: tuna, evaporated milk, etc). I suppose it was wasteful of me to toss them out, but I don't know what else I could do with them. Now, I need to go finish my project. :)

The toothbrush

Today I used the tooth brush as a bribe. 

Riley was quite rowdy after dinner, as is his usual. He and I (and daddy usually, but not tonight) play a little before bedtime. One of his favorite things is to be tossed into the middle of our bed. (And before anyone screams out in alarm and calls CPS on me, just know that my hands don't leave him until right before he hits the pillows.) He is completely safe. :) The best part of this story though is the fact that my son can count to 3. :) He has been able to do it for some time now. He will put up his first finger and say "uh" (read "one") until I pick him up and count to 3 with him. Upon reaching 3 he will land in the middle of our bed in a fit of giggles, immediately turn on all fours and get as far away from me as possible. Because, the next part of the game is keep away from mommy. (If I were to reach him, I would likely take him down, and make him go play some place else.) Our king bed is incredibly high off of the ground. I need a kid's step stool to get up easily. So I will also count to three and do a belly flop onto the bed. He gets a kick out of it. :) 

He then had a good time playing with some toys and I started telling him it was time for "night nights." This means: run away from mommy. Don't let her near you. If she catches you she will make you sleepy. As long as you stay away from her, you won't be tired. 

I tried to get him to come close to me by setting a flash light within arms reach, but he came up to it, and just as I moved to get him he threw the flash light toward me and ran away. Little booger, sure is smart. :)

Then I decided once his pajamas were on we would brush his teeth, so I said, "Let's get your pajama's on so we can brush your teeth." He was excited about it, and finally decided to come to me. 

The kid loves brushing his teeth. It is adorable. He patiently waits for me to brush his teeth first, then loves brushing himself. The other day I noticed him making a noise while brushing. I couldn't figure it out at first until I realized what he was doing: every adult he has seen brush their teeth, has used an electric brush. He is making noise so that he too, has an electric brush. :) I will try to get a good video of it. Because I'm sure, as with most things, he will quickly grow out of this cute phase. 

Just an aside: He officially has 3 molars (he doesn't have one yet on the bottom left) and 4 front teeth (two top and two bottom). 

Mother of the Year Award

On Tuesday I learned an important lesson: always have gauze and tape on hand at all times, especially with a little man in the house.

Prior to Tuesday, I lived in a land where I thought Band-aids were the key to everything. Wounds tend to heal faster when they are covered with a cartoon character, right? And perhaps this is true in the land of little girls (those of you with young girls in the house will have to help me on this one) but in this house, Band-aids are something to be pulled off immediately. The tighter it is placed, the harder one tries to get it off. If shaking the hand fiercely does not get it off, the other hand gets involved with pulling it off. One does not rest until said Band-aid is off. (Okay, because this is my blog I will admit to one thing: the Band-aid's I used were not actually brand name...so really I should refer to them as "adhesive bandages" instead. But I thought perhaps people might recognize the name easier. And while I'm clearing the air, I should also say that the adhesive bandages I have are plain old brown and not covered with fancy cartoon characters. Perhaps if I had the fancy ones he would have just let it be?!)

This week, my mom planned to go out of town Tuesday afternoon, and that meant we had to go to Weight Watchers on Tuesday (instead of our usual Wednesday). I called her to see when she was going to come by and she said she was going to take a shower first. This sounded like a good idea, though I dislike taking showers when a little man is wide awake. But I have done it before, so I hopped on in. I shut him into my room and left the bathroom door open so he could talk with me while I showered. I have checked all the drawers before, to make sure there isn't anything dangerous for little boys, but as it turns out I didn't check thoroughly enough. I saw Riley walk out of the bathroom with the cradle for Jamaal's face razor and thought I saw a battery drop. While I am not okay with him playing with batteries, I did not think he would hurt himself in the short time I had left of my shower. A minute or two later I heard him making noise. He wasn't crying, but maybe whimpering is an appropriate descriptive word. I called for him to come to me, and in he came holding a razor blade in his hand. (You know the kind us ladies use on their legs, that has 4 different blades in one, only this is my husband's and used on his face). It turns out the cradle to Jamaal's razor has a secret place on the back that can store razor blades. I didn't realize this when I looked through the drawers.

I didn't want to panic him. So I crouched down low, held out my hand and calmly said "Can mommy have that please?" He handed it over, and once I had it in my hand I scooped him up and rinsed his hands, to assess the damage. Miraculously his only wound was a little cut on the top of his ring finger on his right hand. It appears that he scraped off a layer of skin, but a very very small area. Just a little smaller than a pink pencil eraser. But boy did that sucker bleed. I used a wash cloth with cold water on it, to put pressure on his finger, and after 15 minutes (of fighting him to let me hold it) it was still bleeding. It didn't seem to make a difference. I placed two different adhesive bandages only for him to take them off immediately (see above :) ). I was at my wits end. Since my mom was on her way, I called her to tell her my predicament, and wondered if she had any ideas. She told me she would bring some gauze and tape and we could try that. Now, mind you, I am completely naked. After I placed the first adhesive bandages, I jumped into the shower (which was left on of course) and rinsed the last bits of soap off of me. But my next priority was getting him to stop bleeding. At least it was my mother that came to help me and not someone else. :)

I passed him off to her when she finally arrived, brushed my hair, and got dressed. Then we proceeded to cover his "owie" with nonstick gauze and tape. As I was wrapping his finger I realized that he would just as easily pull it off as he did the adhesive bandages, so I decided to wrap his pinkie finger as well. Just to help make sure it stayed on. With the exception of one time when he was in the car, he left this bandage alone.

Later that afternoon I had a meeting to go to, so my FIL was in charge. I left the roll of tape and some gauze with him just in case it needed to be wrapped again. But I figured we wouldn't need it anymore.

Fast forward to the evening. Jamaal, Riley and I are in the living room. Riley went around the coffee table to his dad, and Jamaal swept Riley's feet out from under him to pick him up, but Riley wasn't expecting it and collapsed his torso forward. Hitting his forehead on the coffee table. We knew it was one that hurt, it has happened many a time. Jamaal looked at me with empathy for the little guy as he held Riley in front of him, comforting him. As he swayed side to side, I caught a glimpse of blood, and I sprung from the couch and ran to get a cloth. I said something like "Crap he's bleeding" or something, and that is when Jamaal turned Riley to look at him. Blood was all over the place. I came back with a washcloth and looked at Jamaal (who had Riley's blood all over his arm) and said "Let's get him in the bath." It just seemed like an easier place to assess him, because his clothes were getting messy. By the time we got him in the bathtub (and because I was worried about him, I went in too) it had stopped bleeding. I was surprised, because head wounds usually bleed the longest, but we lucked out this time. (I think it has something to do with the grape sized lump that formed under the cut...) After his bath I tried putting a butterfly bandage on it, but he didn't hold still, so it wasn't put on right. We didn't want to mess with him so I left it on him. Over that we put gauze and tape, and he actually left it alone pretty well.

We gave the little guy some Tylenol, a bottle, and he fell right asleep in my arms. After not having much of a nap, and all of the excitement, I wasn't surprised at all. I was glad that he was asleep when I put him in his crib, so I knew that he didn't mess with his bandage. He still has the butterfly on, because he won't let me take it off. So he looks pretty tough. :) (I started this post on Thursday...after Jamaal got home from work, he had a personal vendetta to remove the butterfly bandage, and after chasing Riley around the living room, it finally came off. Along with about 20 pieces of the kid's hair.) He didn't cry though, as he is tough as nails.

Thursday I went out and bought tape, gauze, wound glue, and a large first-aid kit. I'll be ready for the next adventure. (Though I would prefer none at all!)

My Little Helper

I haven't really written about my little man lately. He has really started to grow up in the last few weeks. He's talking a lot more, and is interested in what I'm doing. And does a lot of mimicking.


I had read here about a single chore they had given to their toddler: throwing away dirty diapers. I thought: "I should have Riley do that too." The first couple times, he didn't really get what I was asking him to do, but shortly (after only a day) he was anxious for me to hand him his dirty diapers so he could toss them. He usually doesn't need any coaxing, except for an occasional "here." as I remind him he has a job to do. Now, I'm pretty sure if he saw me throw his diaper away, he would get upset that I didn't let him do it. ;)


Shortly after I had started doing this with him, he went to spend the weekend with his Nana. The first day back home, he spent 30 minutes (nearly straight) lint rolling my kitchen floor. I had to call Nana (my mother in law) to see if she had been using him as free labor. She laughed and said, that he had been helping her sweep. She said he grabbed the dust pan and held it for her as she swept her dust piles into it. She said he even helped her to throw it into the garbage (with her assistance). BUT, she insisted, it was his idea. She didn't care if he helped her or not. He wanted to.


Today, as I was making dinner, he found a piece of fluff on the ground (likely from a dog's toy). I asked him to throw it away for me, and he walked right to the garbage and threw it in. After the lid was shut he clapped his hands and said "yay!" 


He goes around the house shutting doors and toilet lids and closing drawers. Sometimes it is sweet, and cute. And oh so helpful. But other times, like when mama's arm is still inside the refrigerator, it isn't. It hurts even. ;)


But maybe, just maybe, we have a tidy little mister in the making. One who enjoys cleaning and being neat. A mama can dream, right?

We use his wagon as a toy box for now, because toy storage systems are quite expensive! 

Yogurt and oatmeal for breakfast one morning. He insists on feeding himself. He will then accept a spoon from me, as long as he has one in his hands. 

Peanut butter on crackers. He sucked the peanut butter off, then crumbled the remaining crackers. I thought he was eating some of them, only to find them in his lap when I got him out of his seat. ;) What a goose!

Questions

Would you tell someone if their toothbrush fell into the baby's bathwater, with a bare bottom inside?

I actually asked my husband the above question last night. He would tell someone. At least he says he would. (Especially since the toothbrush in question was my husband's) His biggest concern was actually whether or not his tooth brush still worked (it is electric.) He didn't seem concerned about baby bath water being on the brush. (To be honest, I don't think I would either.) ;)

Today, the question is this:

Would you tell someone that prior to cooking the bacon in this recipe, there happened to be a dog's nose in the stock pot (with bacon inside)? I'm pretty sure she ate some of it before I realized the sound she was making was her trying to gobble up all of my precious bacon! ;) I mean it did take me a second. Because, who honestly leaves a stock pot with bacon in it, on the floor? And before you are too quick to judge, just know that one day you might find yourself in the same predicament. Do you tell or don't you?

I guess another question you might ask, is: Would you toss the bacon out, and start over?

Or do you make sure there is no dog hair in the pot, and cook it as planned anyway?

I figured it would be cooked hot enough...and no one likes to waste bacon...and she has sometimes licked my mouth before...so...

It tasted pretty darn good. ;) Sneak on over to this blog for the recipe. You'll find some other scrumptious recipes my friends and I have shared as well! :)

My husband's son

Today I decided to feed Riley cereal the real way. You know, poured in a bowl, drenched in whole milk and transferred via spoon into a toothless mouth. As far as I know this was a first for him. He has had dry cereal often. It is super easy for him to pick up, and makes for an easy snack. But dry cereal is just not the same as milk drenched cereal, and Riley needed to know this fact.

Okay, so mommy was thrifty and bought generic Rice Pockets, but I have a hard time calling them anything other than the name brand. I found that he enjoyed the cereal the best when it was soggy. He liked to slurp milk out of the pockets. Mr. Riley is usually only happy if he has something on his tray to play with or feed himself with. So I put some damp Chex in front of him, as well as spoon fed him a couple. He enjoyed his breakfast as usual.

My grandma would be upset to find that he will often pause a meal and refuse to eat until he is given a drink of water or milk. He really just needs to wash his food down. She used to feel that beverages did not go with mealtimes because she felt kids would get full on milk or juice and not eat their meals. Sorry Grandma! I did not encourage this behavior, he started doing it on his own.

At one point I got up to clean the sink out for bath time and Riley had grabbed a rice pocket and was "vrooming" with it along his tray. It is absolutely adorable to see him play cars, knowing that his daddy loves cars too. Anything can be made into a car, even a soggy, impostor Chex.

Snowpacalypse

I took a few pictures of the recent snow storm that swept through this state, and just thought I'd share them. These are just a few quick shots from outside my front door. I thankfully didn't have to drive out on the ice, it just so happened that I had the week off of work. (Well I was scheduled to work on Saturday, but I had food poisoning all day Friday and am still recovering from that. I haven't had my stomach hurt that bad for that long in a very, very long time, if ever!? It was not worth missing work, that's for sure!) Anyway, back to the weather ...

My power went off Thursday morning just after I laid Riley down for his nap. I called my mom to check if she had power, but she also was without. She had said that my brother was offering to drive her to lunch, and I asked to join in on that deal. Long story short we ended up going to Red Robin for lunch. It was a nice meal, with good conversation (though my mom accidentally spilled her diet coke all over the table and onto my jeans) . :) As we were wrapping up, the lights went out. Pretty much everyone groaned or said "oh man!" It was kind of funny. We didn't care, because we had finished up, but got Red Robin Bucks out of it. In all the commotion I forgot to ask for a balloon for Riley. I promised him one too. Later, I know he won't let me forget that easily. ;)

Well, to bed I go. It is so comforting to hear baby snores coming from the video monitor. He is such a noisy sleeper! :)

Riley and the Red Balloon

This morning Riley came running up to me with a red Red Robin balloon. He had the goofiest grin on his face, he was so very proud of himself. I worked for 12 hours yesterday and my mom watched him. My youngest two nephews got out of school early, so the 4 of them went out to lunch. My little man got a balloon out of the deal. :) He didn't get a chance to show me it until this morning, and by the look on his face he was very happy to share his joy with me. :) He spent the majority of this morning playing with his balloon, until finally the string came untied and the balloon deflated. He just sort of sat there expressionless. He didn't cry or fuss. And that is the story of Riley and the red balloon.  :)

Riley's life in review.

Day 1- After 8.5 months of waiting, he was finally in my arms. He made lots of noise when breathing, and kept the nurses on edge, but he was just a noise maker, there wasn't a problem. At 12 days old, he went to his very first movie: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1

Month 1- This is an outfit his Uncle Lamar got him from Sweden. This was a rough time for mama, because he never slept at night.

Month 2- This picture was taken during a trip to visit with other babies from ladies I went to high school with. Some of you might recognize a certain baby girl's fist in this photo. :D He began smiling during this month.

 

Month 3- His very fist St. Patty's day. His daddy is part Irish, so this Holiday is kind of big on that side of the family. :D He started sleeping long periods of time (4 hours or longer) during this month. Mommy and daddy went out on their first "date" to the movie Paul.

 Month 4- He laughed for the first time during this month. Mommy had to go back to work.

Month 5- Daddy was playing video games, and Riley fell asleep. :D He went to his first Sounder's game this month against Portland (it was a tie). He really started grabbing things, and became interested in his feet. We went to ocean shores on vacation as a family, with a friend (and his girlfriend). Uncle Lamar scored his first MLS goal! :D

Month 6- He began solids this month. He ate homemade rice cereal in this photo. Most of it ended up on his face or clothes at first, but he really enjoyed eating. He started sitting up on his own this month. 

Month 7- Here he is eating prunes mixed with rice cereal. He loves eating. He started saying "ba ba ba" and "da da da." Mommy and daddy went camping, and left him behind. He stayed with both grandmas, each for a night. He actually slept better for them. At the end of this month, he started going from stomach to sitting, and started rocking on hands and knees. Near the 8th month he started crawling officially.

Month 8- He continues to love food. Most of the pictures I have from this month include him eating. :D Here, he has a rice puff stuck on his nose. :D He slept in his own room starting this month. He would flip right to his stomach, and make mama nervous, but he still will only sleep on his stomach.

Month 9- Here he is enjoying chicken noodles. During this month he had his first taste of dog food, and liked it. Blech. He has never swallowed any dog food, but we often have to sweep it out of his mouth. That kid is fast! He started eating oatmeal, banana and lightly toasted toast. He started pulling himself up and standing while holding on to things this month. And started walking around items as well, while holding on of course.

 Month 10- Here he is enjoying some Cheerios. But it looks like he is giggling, or telling a secret. :D He often "lounges" while eating, sticking his feet up on his tray, like he is doing here.  He eats a lot of different things, and is really good at feeding himself finger foods. He had his first big "owie" on Halloween. He cut his lip open on the corner of a coffee table. BTW, he dressed up as a bear. We had a bear outfit already, and mommy colored his nose with some stamp ink. Easy. He got really good at walking while holding on to things this month. We thought for sure he would walk.



Month 11- He took 3 steps before sitting down and crawling. By the end of the month, he was walking about half time. He eats pretty much anything you give him. His first Thanksgiving was filled with stuffing, turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potato, and green beans. He loved it.



One year- He started walking most of the time a couple days ago. Now, it is clear, that he would rather walk. He is able to stand up from the middle of the room. He is able to pause to pick something up, and continue on. He loves playing with cars, and "vrooming." He loves gold fish crackers (and really any type of cracker you give him). I would say that bananas are his favorite food though. If they didn't constipate him, I would give them to him daily. :D He is still wearing 6 months and 6-9 months clothing. 9 months clothes are a bit big still. He started drinking from a straw a few weeks ago (okay so technically in Month 11), and now will go crazy for water from a straw. A couple nights ago one of Riley's toys said "bye bye" and he mimicked it. He repeated this two more times, but doesn't do it much anymore. Today he kept repeating "Hi" while we were out shopping.

Happy Birthday to my baby boy! Mommy and Daddy love you much. 

Family Shoot

A friend of ours agreed to take some family pictures of us, she was so flexible, and rescheduled for Sunday (we originally had planned on Wednesday, but it was drizzling/pouring rain all day, and I wanted some outdoor shots). It was FREEZING out. But Riley was a trooper. He never cried or fussed. But, he rarely smiled as well. These are just a few of the shots Stacy has passed along as a teaser. I can't wait to see the rest. :D Go here to see some of her other work, and contact her to schedule your session. 

I cannot believe my little man is almost a YEAR. It feels like it should be June.

In other news: I continue to lose, and have lost a total of 8.8 pounds. I'm hoping to continue to lose over the next two weeks, but with Thanksgiving, I would be happy to maintain as well. :D

Another week down

On Wednesday I had my second weigh in. I had a dream the night before that I had lost 9 pounds. I felt so empowered because it put me that much closer to my goal weight. It put me at the halfway point, and so I got honored at the meeting.

In real life, I went in to get weighed and felt optimistic. I haven't really noticed a difference in the way my clothes fit, but I do feel better about myself.

So get this, I lost 2 pounds! The receptionist who weighed me made me feel really proud of my work this last week.

I have been working on choosing healthier foods and drinks, but still haven't been getting extra activity in. I didn't meet my goal from last week. I just need to work on making activity a priority.

In other news, I'm kind of under the weather right now. I lost my voice after working 12 hours on Thursday, all that talking to my patients wore it out. When I woke up I barely had a voice. Riley wasn't scared or bothered by it as I thought he would be. But I did upset him more than normal when I told him to get down off the hot dishwasher. I sound pretty gruff.

Today he started pointing at things sort of randomly. He will just stop what he is doing and point. It really is cute, but I try looking at where he is pointing, and I truly have no clue what it is I'm supposed to be looking at. I guess he is still new to this world and excited by bare patches of wall and the ceiling. ;) He continues to work on walking and standing on his own. I will set him down standing, and let go, and he will stand there for a bit before lowering himself down to the floor, or grabbing some piece of furniture. I bought him a convertible scooter/walker thing and he will push it around the house until he hits a wall or item that he can't run over. I have a video that I want to try to upload, but I don't know where the camera is right now.

Here is a tip we learned at our WW meeting this week:

Don't go crazy over Halloween candy, you can buy candy any time you want during the year. So what makes bags of Halloween candy special?

When I think about it this way, it makes it easier for me to limit my intake. I, like many people out there, experience a "special occasion" phenomenom where it makes it okay to overeat or over-indulge in high calorie foods, simply because it is a treat, or something that doesn't happen very often. Don't get me wrong, I am going to indulge every now and then. But I don't have to stuff myself to enjoy myself. Right? Who's with me? :D

I haven't bought any Halloween candy yet, last year we had 6 trick or treaters, so I'm not expecting a lot. I'm going to try and buy a small amount of candy so that it isn't there staring at me while I'm home with Riley. Although, I must say, accounting for everything that I eat does help me to think about what I'm putting in my mouth.